Measure properly
Industrial Measurement Technology -
The Basis for Automation in Processing Technology
Summary
Production in the bulk solids processing industry would be unimaginable today without automation technology. Continuously increasing requirements made on the quality of end products and their repeatability, combined with the need for optimisation of energy usage in production, have necessitated a higher level of automation. The basis for this automation consists of sensors and measuring instruments suitable for the tough operating conditions encountered in mineral processing. A good measuring instrument with top-class measuring performance is not, on its own, enough to assure success. This article examines the holistic relationship between clearly defined applications, local conditions, a reliable measuring principle and correct installation and commissioning, citing two examples from practical operation in the processing industry.
1 The basis of a good measuring-technology solution
The bulk-materials-using industry is exposed to heavy cost pressure; plants must nowadays be operated more efficiently, and at a higher performance level, than was previously neccessary. The basis for automation is provided by the sensors and measuring instruments required for registration of the various operating states in the process. The defined targets will not be achieved if these instruments fail to supply the required data.
Measuring instruments function on the basis of physical processes which possess specific strengths and weaknesses,...
